§ Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will report progress on the proposal to establish the defence non-nuclear research establishment as an executive agency.
§ Mr. SainsburyMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has accepted that change is needed in the way defence research is organised in order to obtain better value for money for our expenditure on defence research and project support. It is considered that this could be best achieved through a sharper relationship between the customers for and suppliers of defence research and by better focused and strengthened internal management in the establishments.
It has therefore been decided to establish the four main non-nuclear research establishments: the Admiralty research establishment, the Royal aerospace establishment, the Royal armament research and development establishment and the Royal Signals and radar establishment as a single organisation with the intention that they should become an executive agency under the Government's next steps policy. Other parts of MOD may also be included following current studies.
There will be full consultation with trades unions. In addition, steps are being taken to select and appoint, by open competition, a chief executive (designate), who will be responsible for day-to-day management of the organisation and for developing a comprehensive management plan for the proposed agency in response to MOD requirements. In parallel, an implementation team is being set up in MOD charged with overall co-ordination of the project. Final decisions to proceed and on the status 277W of the agency within the public sector will be taken in the light of this further work, with the aim of establishing the agency in the spring of 1991.